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Meet the cats: Tuxedo Boy Clyde

Meet the cats: Tuxedo Boy Clyde, a delightful tuxedo boy, who is now in his twilight years, is Mom’s cat, and if she were still with us, she’d be 90-years-old today.

Clyde, now in his twilight years, can still scale to the top of the glass cabinet.

As written in Meet the Cats: Pink Collar, Paws was going to give her to my Mom, who had lost her Calico cat Sam over a year ago. She was on the fence about replacing her, so I decided I had to take this into my own hands. While she did go out occasionally with friends and family, it didn’t replace the constant companionship of a cat. My Dad had passed on five years before, and she still missed him. (We never really get over those we lose).

Mom’s Cat – The Tuxedo Boy – now a geriatric cat.

When I came home for Christmas of 2001, we went to the local shelter. They didn’t have a ton of cats. I found this little tortoiseshell kitten that I absolutely loved; however, she wanted no part of that kitten. She said that kitten likes, you, not me, and I think she was right.

Mom wanted the Tuxedo cat

She was taken by this black and white tuxedo boy with bright yellow eyes. He seemed shy and was a bit of a scaredy cat. He’d been at the shelter for quite awhile. That was her pick, and we filled out the adoption papers. Surprisingly, maybe because of Christmas, the cat was packed up in a box crate and sent home with us. As I look back, we hadn’t planned to bring home a cat that day, so we hadn’t put out any food or even the cat box. We’d do that immediately upon getting home.

Clyde has always been a handsome tuxedo cat.

Clyde is now a senior cat. This photo shows him with a VCR. Imagine when?

Kitties name was now Clyde

He was named Claudio, and my Mom couldn’t really get that name. I can’t say that I could either. On the way home, over the cries of the timid kitty in the crate, we mulled over what his new name would be. It would be Clyde, much easier to say that Claudio, and we could nickname him Clydee. There;s just something about kitty names that end in ‘ee’.

Geriatric Cat can still jump and play

Geriatric Cat Clyde can still scale 3 to 4 feet to the top of the glass cabinet in the living-room.

Geriatric Cat still looks great for his 19 years.

Geriatric Cat Clyde ponders do I stay up here, or get down?

It’s a long ways down. Do I dare jump?

Just like yesteryear, Clyde finds his old hide-out.

Hope those younger cats aren’t around. I don’t want to be on the ceiling anymore.

Clyde can still jump and play despite being 19-years-of-age. He what they call a geriatric cat as he is over 15.

The International Cat Care organization points out in recent years, feline ages and life-stages have been redefined. Cats are considered to be elderly once they reach 11 years with senior cats defined as those aged between 11-14 years and geriatric cats 15 years and upwards.

Clyde, always a scaredy cat

Keep in mind, Clyde is, and always has been, a scaredey cat, and in the past year, it’s gotten worse as the two youngest cats chase him when they see him. As Clyde’s human could not stand him hiding in the closet, Paws set up a nice setting, complete with a whole second floor to himself. The benefit, he gets to snuggle with his human ever night, and Lenny and Little Yellow have the downstairs where they cannot terrorize him. The other two cats, Pink Collar and Siamese Linus aren’t a threat, so they can go either upstairs or down.

Crime Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery

Crime Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, written by Dusty Rainbolt, is almost an encyclopedia full of everything you ever wanted to know about a cat’s litter box issues.

Litter box issues are the number one reason people surrender their pets, and Dusty does a tremendous job outlining various health and behavior issues that could be the culprit.

Book Review

Crime Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery

Even though our cats have moved into our hearts and families, they are not little people. They are cats. Years ago, they learned to use the giant sand box of the Sahara Desert to do their ‘business’. They still like a litter box texture that’s just like that fine sand. That’s why community cats just love kids’ sand boxes as litter boxes.

Every multi-cat owner should have one box for every cat, plus one. Additionally, the litter boxes should not be stowed away in the basement or garage. They should be strategically placed throughout the house where kitty can easily access them. An older arthritic cat may not be able to make it to the basement without a lot of pain.

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FIP research hopeful

FIP research hopeful that within the next 10 years feline infectious peritonitis, FIP, will no longer be a death sentence for cats.

FIP research hopeful

For many of us this is fantastic news because the loss of a young cat can be devastating. The Paws family lost our beloved Tubby to FIP almost 10 years ago, and we think about our black Siamese sweetheart every day.

Most recently, the Winn Feline Foundation announced a major breakthrough in FIP research. Over the past 25 years, Winn has granted $675,000 to the cause. In 2015, Morris Animal Foundation pledged $1.2 million to fund research to better understand the disease and find a treatment for it.

FIP, a devastating condition triggered by infection with a feline coronavirus, is difficult to diagnose, and is always fatal, up to now. Once diagnosed, the cat may only live days or weeks or months; however, a few may live for years. While feline coronavirus is common, especially in places with lots of cats, it by itself is of no concern, except for the cats where it mutates into FIP. Paws wrote about Tubby’s battle. Check out:

There’s no single test for FIP. Rather diagnosis is made by taking the sum of numerous findings. Experts at the University of Tennessee’s veterinary college estimate that FIP affects as many as 5 percent of cats in shelters and catteries, as well as some smaller proportion of household felines.

Tubby succumbed to the disease about a year and a half after being adopted from a shelter. We had no idea this kitty was harboring such a deadly disease, nor had we ever heard of FIP before. Now our ears perk up with curiosity when we heard the mere mention of FIP.

FIP research hopeful

Vicki Thayer, executive director of the Winn Feline Foundation, says she’s particularly excited about research on reversing the progression of FIP. The work is a collaborative effort between Dr. Niels Pedersen, a veterinary researcher at the University of California Davis, Drs. Yunjeong Kim and Kyeong-Ok Chang of Kansas State University and William Groutas, a medicinal chemist and professor at Wichita State University.

FIP, SARS & MARS linked to corona viruses

She has reason to be excited. Research is centering on the possibility of FIP vaccines being derived from components used to treat human Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Both are caused by corona viruses similar to FIP, and this may help advance therapeutics toward FIP. Dr. Pedersen shared this positive news at the 39th Winn Symposium in Chicago, Ill on June 29, 2017.

BJ Bangs recipient of 2017 Winn Feline Foundation Media Award

BJ Bangs knows cats matter, and this year, Paws for Reflection founder and author was honored with the 2017 Winn Feline Foundation Media Award, which recognizes journalists and editors who publicly support promote awareness of feline health.

This is a huge deal as Paws for Reflection is serious about cat issues, and educating people about feline health issues is one of our top priorities.

Vicki Thayer, DVM, DABVP (Feline) Executive Director of the Winn Feline Foundation, presented the award via video conference before over 450 people at BlogPaws 2017, thanking BJ for her tireless advocacy, supporting the health and well-being of all cats. Thayer commended BJ for her endless support to promote Feline Fix by Five Month’s initiative to have all cats spay/neutered by five-months.

BJ Bangs received the Winn Feline Foundation’s 2017 Media Appreciation Award at BlogPaws 2017. Pictured with her is Steve Dale, host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, and member of WFF Board of Directors.

BJ connected withSpay USA founder Esther Mechler, who spearheaded the Feline Fix by Five Month’s Initiative earlier this year, and is working on a media campaign to help spread the word to veterinarians and the general public about why early spay/neuter is so important. BJ has written a number of posts about cat overpopulation, and Feline Fix by Five could be revolutionary in helping reduce the numbers. By reducing the number of ‘oops’ litters, the number of kittens entering shelters could be dramatically curtailed.

BJ is thrilled to be recognized as she joins the ranks of some of the top feline writers in the country, including Steve Dale, pet columnist, host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, Steve Dale’s Pet World and The Pet Minute, who sits on the Winn Feline Foundations Board of Directors, and Amy Shojai, who has authored over 30 pet care books and one of the original founders of the International Cat Writers Association.

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Catpersonable BJ Bangs

At Paws for Reflection, we're serious about cats, writing about cat health, cat rescue and cat news. We delve into why cats are the absolute best soul mates. We spring in a little humor with lots of travel tips, photos and a few feline tales, making Paws for Reflection a must stop for cat information on the cat crazed Internet.
BJ is an award-winning blogger/journalist, communications professional and photographer.